have you ever wondered how your favorite nba team received its famous name? all nba teams have an interesting story or a history behind their names. some of the names reflect the city's culture or history, others came from previous owners and many were selected through "name the team" contests.
for teams like los angeles and utah, the names were not always a reflection of the city. even though los angeles has no lakes, the laker name has been a city treasure for almost 40 years. before going to los angeles, the team originated in minneapolis, minnesota. in 1948, team officials chose the name for its direct relationship to the state's motto, "the land of 10,000 lakes." the team name went unchanged after moving to los angeles in 1960.because utah's team originated in new orleans, louisiana, it was called the jazz. in 1974, new orleans club officials chose the name to represent the city for its reputation as the "jazz capital of the world." the name stayed with the team even after finding a new home in salt lake city, utah in 1979.
the chicago bull's original owner, richard klein, named the team the bulls. he picked the name because a fighting bull is relentless, and never quits. klein, who founded the club in1966, believed these qualities were necessary for a championship team and hoped his chicago athletes would live up to the team name. a belief that bulls----winner of the six nba championships have definitely followed.miami chose the heat from names such as the sharks, beaches, and barracudas. the name magic was the winner for the orlando team because the city's tourism slogan is "come to the magic."tradition played a big part in naming the new york knicks. chosen by the club's founder ned irish, the knicks name was already important in new york's history. the first organized team in baseball history was named the new york knickerbockers or the knickerbockers nine.
in 1967, the indian pacers selected their team name in a different way from most other teams. their decision was based on what they wanted to accomplish in the nba. team officials chose the pacers name because the organization wanted to set the "pace" in professional basketball.